According to our La Quinta Chevrolet service techs, the alternator is as important as the engine and the battery. Why? It's the automotive part that generates electricity, the power that keeps most of a car's electrical systems up and running while the car remains in motion.
Of Batteries and Alternators
The battery contains stored electricity. This electricity provides the first jump-start that turns the engine over. Thereafter, it's the alternator that continues to send electricity throughout the car, even keeping the car battery recharged for future use. The alternator even supplies electrical power to keep the car running during idling. Systems that receive energy from the alternator include:
- Headlights
- Power steering
- Windshield wipers
- In-dash instruments/digital clusters
- Infotainment touchscreens
- In-vehicle entertainment centers
- Air conditioning
- Heating
- Heated seats
How Alternators Generate Energy
An alternator contains a rotor within a stator. The rotor boasts magnets positioned with optimal spacing. The stator contains copper wiring. Attached to the engine crankshaft via serpentine belt and/or pulley, the rotor spins along with the crankshaft. When its magnets overpass the stator's copper wiring, a field of alternative current (AC) forms.
The stator collects and sends this AC to the alternator's rectifier. The rectifier turns AC into direct current (DC), the kind of current that activates a vehicle's electrical systems.